Aviation Security: Development of New Security Technology Has Not Met Expectations: Rced-94-142 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781289056865)

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) efforts to develop new equipment for detecting explosives and methods to improve aircraft survivability.
GAO found that: (1) FAA has made little progress in deploying new explosive detection systems because of technical problems; (2) FAA could take 2 to 5 years to approve new devices for airlines' use; (3) FAA efforts to enhance aircraft survivability are promising but are several years from completion; (4) FAA does not plan to test new explosive detection systems at airports during the certification process; (5) FAA has not conducted software reviews to evaluate system designs, emphasized integrating different technologies into total systems, or focused sufficient attention on human factors issues; (6) FAA lacks a purchasing strategy to guide its and the airlines' efforts to implement new security equipment; (7) if FAA expeditiously develops an implementation strategy, the airlines will be in a better position to plan and budget for future security acquisitions; and (8) Congress is considering legislation that would clarify the availability of Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant funds to purchase explosive detection systems.

Author: U. S. Government Accountability Office (
ISBN-10: 1289056862
ISBN-13: 9781289056865
Publisher: Bibliogov
Language: English
Published: 06/27/2013
Pages: 68
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.31lbs
Size: 9.69h x 7.44w x 0.14d